Wow, so so sorry about how long it took to post this :) I was having major writer's block, and I was so busy with school and everything...Eh, Note: Tale's nickname wasn't meant to correlate with my own..it just kinda happened. Yea. This is basically the worst chapter I've written (though you may disagree) but enjoy anyways.

"How could she of escaped? How?"

"Your Ozliness, sir-"

"What is it now?"

"All of the guards are accounted for..except for that one who calls himself Tasi."

"Oh, Tasi, uh?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Put out a search on for both the green girl and Tasi. I want Tasi dead, but bring Elphaba to me unharmed. Got that?"

"Yes, sir." The guard ran off.

"So then, Elphaba, my dear, you choose to play the game like this? So be it. But you won't come out of this alive, nor will Tasi, Glinda, your child..or Fiyero."

The sky clouded over. Something was wrong; I could feel it, deep in my skin..right down into my bones. It thundered, over and over, but I never saw lightning, and rain never started. A shudder of fear went up my spine. Something was very wrong, "Tasi, can you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

I grabbed his arm to keep him from walking on, "That. Feel it?"

I saw him squirm uncomfortably, "Yes, I can feel it. Do you know what it is?"

"No." I hugged Tale closer to my chest as she began to cry, "It's alright, Li. She feels it too."

"Come on, let's get out of here. I don't like this." Thunder came again, shaking all of Munchkinland.

Tasi grabbed my arm and led me into a clearing, "What the hell is going on?" I looked up at the sky, hopeful for the bright flash of lightning. There was none. The sky was slowly darkening…but that wasn't what was scary; it was darkening green.

"Elphaba, do you think this might have anything to do with you?" Tasi asked softly.

"Most likely. But-" Before I could finish, I heard the crunching of leaves under feet. I turned..It was Salad. I mean Sahlah.

"Sahlah? What are you doing here? I told you to go back home!"

"Tasi, something's going on back in the City-"

"There's something going on here, too, in case you didn't notice!" I said, pointing up to the sky.

"Yes, I think it's going to spread throughout all of Oz, Elphaba, the Wizard is looking for you!"

"Fuck the Wizard."

"Wow, Fiyero was right. You did influence him."

"What?"

"I told you, Fiyero is alive!"

"Uh, Sahlah, Elphaba, it's great that-"

"I don't believe you! I saw the blood, his blood!"

"Damn, you are a bitch! Fine, don't believe me! But look, you guys have to get out of Oz if you want to live!"

"What? Why? Why me?"

"Tasi, you freed the Wicked Witch of the West, the Wizard wants to kill you, too."

"I am not Wicked!"

"Oh Sweet Oz, not this again!"

"Shut up, Tasi!" Sahlah and I said in unison.

"Do you know him?" I asked Sahlah, it suddenly dawning on me that they were talking to each other like they had known each other forever.

"Uh-"

"Yes! Sahlah is my well.."

"Say it!"

"Girlfriend."

"Holy shit, this is fucked up." I said.

Thunder rumbled again, this time so strong that a tree fell into the clearing. Tale began to scream, I wrapped her and hugged her tight to me, softly singing what I had sung in jail: "Maar ik geloofde altijd dat er ander materiaal dat op binnen uw hoofd gaat…" She immediately quieted. I guess she liked my singing after all.

"MOVE!" I heard someone shout from far away. I looked up just in time, another tree fell right where I was sitting..if I hadn't moved…My heart was beating out of my chest, adrenaline rush, man.

I heard running footsteps behind me and turned in time to briefly see someone's chest before I was hugged tight. I breathed in a familiar scent...Fiyero?

No way could it be him. That was too easy. Wasn't it? Tale began to squirm, she apparently was as confused as I was. I broke the hug, "You're crushing my bab-" I brought my eyes up and was greeted with the eyes that I had so longed to see, the ones that Tale had, "Yero?"

"It's me, Fae! I never thought I'd see you again." He said softly.

I stared at him. I brought one hand up and touched his cheek. I could feel his warm skin beneath my emerald skin. It wasn't an apparition; he was there! "Oh Fiyero, but…how?"

"How what, Elphie?"

"How are you alive, Fiyero? Oh, I don't give a damn!" I hugged him, I didn't ever want to let him go. I had already lost him once, and almost lost myself in the process, but now he was here and I wasn't going to let him go again.

Tale began to squirm again, and Fiyero was the first to notice, "What in Oz? Is..?"

"Is she yours? Yes."

"I never thought about that..What's her name?"

Fiyero gazed down at Tale, seemingly in awe, "Her name is Tale. It means green."

"I'm finding this hard to believe."

"Don't worry, so am I."

"When was she born?"

"Uh..Tasi?"

Tasi sat up and walked over to Fiyero and I, holding Sahlah's hand, "Holy shit, how the hell is that you're always a step ahead of me, Sahlah? You are a scary person, you know that?"

"Does everyone know Salad but me?"

"Sahlah." Tasi, Sahlah, and Fiyero said at the same time.

"Whatever."

"What, Elphaba?"

"When was Li born?" Fiyero gave me an odd look, "You see, your friend Salad, Sahlah, sorry, was torturing me and I kind of just passed out and then there she was." I smiled and kissed Tale's forehead.

"Yesterday. You're not too late." Tasi smiled at Fiyero, "I'm Tasi-"

"He was the one who broke me out of prison."

"Yea. I guess that pretty much sums it up." Fiyero and Tasi shook hands, "I'm going with Sahlah back to the City, to see what's up. You two stay here."

"Tasi," I said, "Be careful. If I know the Wizard, which I unfortunately do, he wants you dead."

"I'll be fine, Elphie."

I watched Sahlah and Tasi walk away, back to the city. It surprised me at first that Fiyero didn't go with them, but then I realized he wanted to be here with me and Tale. Me. We sat in silence, Fiyero took little Tale from my arms and held her in his own; she seemed to know that he was her father, because she giggled and cooed when he smiled at her.

We sat in an uncomfortable silence for a moment. Was our reunion supposed be like this? "Fiyero, this is weird, to say the least."

"Weird? How is it weird."

"I thought you were dead…"

That seemed to be enough to explain it because he set a now sleeping Tale in a bed of leaves and came to me, "Well, unfortunately, you're going to have to get used to the idea of me being alive. Again." he said as he held me.

I nuzzled his neck, "It'll be tough, but I think I'll be able to do it."

"I'm glad. I love you, Fae."

I suddenly remembered something, I pulled the letter from Sarima out of my dress pocket, "Did you by chance send a letter to your..to Sarima?" It hurt too much to say wife.

"Yes."

"Did you tell her about..us?"

"No. Though I should have."

"Fiyero, you're married. And Li is not your wife's daughter. She's mine. Your lover's."

"I know. I really don't know what I'm going to do about this." He put his head in his hands.

"Fiyero..This won't work."

"What wont?"

"This, us. It won't work."

"Elphie-"

"No. You're alive and that's all I need to know. I'm sorry if you had some false hope about what our future together would be, but there isn't going to be one."

"Elphaba, do you love me or not?"

I didn't answer him. I couldn't answer him. I couldn't help but be indecisive. One part of me wanted him; it wanted me to kiss him, and tell him how much I loved him and..but the other part of me wanted me to turn my back from the only man I'd really truly loved, and tell him to leave me.

"What about Li? She needs two parents."

"What about your kids? Why are they any different?"

He nodded, "They're not, I guess. I want to be with you, though, Elphaba."

"You're selfish."

"That may be true, but you don't think enough about yourself. What about you? Really, Elphaba, were you looking for me?"

"No."

"You're lying. I can tell. Why were you looking if you didn't have some hope for us left in your heart?"

"I don't know." I mumbled and looked up at the sky.

Fiyero sighed, defeated. He went and picked up his daughter, cradling her in his arms, watching her sleep.

I looked down at my feet. I felt ashamed of myself. Fiyero was right; I had some hope for the two -well, three- of us. I wanted us to be together..but now I saw that that just couldn't happen, "Fiyero-"

"No. I understand. I know when I'm not wanted."

"Fiyero, it's not that I don't want you-"

"Elphaba, stop. I don't want to hear it, don't press it any further."

Good going, me, you just turned Fiyero against you. I sat on a tree stump, I felt so desolate. I hadn't realized it, but the thunder had stopped in Fiyero and I's moment of solace, but now that we had stopped talking it was back, "Fiyero, be careful, you saw the tree.."

"I know." he said, his voice filled with ice.

Thunder rumbled deeply, shaking the ground beneath my feet. Tale began to cry and I went to Fiyero; I really hated this.

The thunder was bad, it didn't stop for nearly three hours, when Tasi and Sahlah arrived back from the Emerald City, their faces flushed, their eyes bright, "You three have to go, Sahlah and I too."

"What's going on, Tasi?"

"They're looking for you, Elphaba."

I nodded, it didn't surprise me, "No, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to stay here. I don't want to run anymore."

I looked at Fiyero, he gave me an odd look, "Elphaba, what are you doing?"

"I'm surrendering. You three -four- go, if I'm gone you won't matter to them. That's how it should be. Fiyero, take Tale, take care of her. And one day, tell her about me."

"Elphie, no! You can't stop fighting!"

"Yes, I can, and I will. I love you, Fiyero, go back to Sarima, tell her you found Tale abandoned on the street. Tasi and Sahlah, go back to wherever you came from and keep yourselves safe."

Fiyero stood, "I won't let you do this, Fae, this isn't fair. You haven't done anything wrong. You've got too much to live for."

"Do I, Yero my hero? I have nothing but Tale."

"You have me.."

"No, no I don't. You keep forgetting, you're married. Now go! Before they find you with me!"

They all stared at me for a moment, then Tasi took Sahlah's hand and ran with her into the woods.

Fiyero stared at me, determination in his eyes, "I'm sorry, Fiyero. I love you. Go. Go far away from here." He stood for a minute longer, then turned and slowly walked into the woods. He never looked back.

There was my white flag.